The lingering scent of lilac and female intimacy clung faintly to Song Qing's senses for days after his fourteenth birthday celebration. That night… it had been a revelation.
'An unforgettable gift, indeed,' he'd often find himself musing during brief lulls in his cultivation or planning. 'Bibi Dong… Renxue… Together…'
A slow smirk would invariably touch his lips. The raw passion, the dominance, the sheer visual ecstasy of having both mother and daughter surrender so completely beneath him… it had unlocked something within him. A deeper understanding of pleasure, yes, but also a confirmation of his absolute hold over the two most powerful women in his world. The memory alone was enough to send a jolt of heat through his veins.
'They truly unleashed a beast,' he acknowledged inwardly, recalling their exhausted, blissed-out states by dawn. 'And frankly… I enjoyed it immensely.'
The experience had added a new layer to his already complex relationships with them. A shared secret, a shared memory of ultimate taboo and pleasure. With Bibi Dong, the dynamic of Teacher/disciple blurred further into master/devoted lover. With Renxue, their bond deepened, sealed not just by ambition and stolen kisses, but by the profound intimacy of her first time, given freely, shared uniquely.
But as potent as the memory was, Song Qing compartmentalized efficiently. Pleasure was pleasure. Duty was duty. Ambition remained paramount. The indulgence of that night was a milestone, a reward claimed, but now, other matters demanded his attention.
His cultivation continued relentlessly, pushing towards the Rank 80 bottleneck. His guidance of Song Cai'er progressed smoothly, her adaptation to human form and power exceeding even his optimistic projections. His interactions with Rongrong, Zhuqing, Liena, Yan Yan, Lingling, and Liu Erlong maintained their delicate balance.
Life settled into a rhythm of intense progress and strategic maneuvering.
Until, about three weeks after his birthday, the news arrived. Ripples spreading from ripples he himself had set in motion long ago.
Bibi Dong summoned him to her private study, a place far less opulent than the grand audience chambers, filled with scrolls, maps, and the scent of old parchment and faint perfume. She sat behind her large desk, her expression thoughtful, tapping a perfectly manicured finger on a classified intelligence report.
"Qing'er," she began the moment he entered, dispensing with formalities, her rose pink eyes sharp. "We have confirmation. Movements in the south."
Song Qing raised an eyebrow, immediately attentive. "Star Luo?"
"Indirectly," Bibi Dong confirmed, pushing the report across the desk towards him. "Tang Hao has surfaced."
Song Qing's calm expression didn't change, but a familiar coldness flickered deep within his emerald eyes. 'Tang Hao… Finally crawling out from whatever rock he was hiding under.'
He picked up the report, scanning the concise summary.
'Contact established with the Four Single-Attribute Clans…' His eyes narrowed slightly. 'Strength Clan, Defense Clan, Speed Clan, Breaking Clan… remnants loyal to the Clear Sky Clan.'
The report detailed sightings, clandestine meetings, movement of personnel and resources. Tang Hao, leveraging his status as a former Clear Sky Douluo and perhaps promises of future glory (or threats), had successfully re-established contact and secured the allegiance of these four powerful, if somewhat diminished, clans.
"And according to this," Song Qing murmured, reading further, "they've vanished. Completely withdrawn from their known territories. Likely integrated back into the Clear Sky Clan's hidden sanctuary."
Bibi Dong nodded grimly. "Consolidating their strength. Preparing. The Clear Sky Clan, dormant for years after their self-imposed isolation, is stirring again. And Tang Hao is their vanguard."
"Which explains the second report," Song Qing stated, already connecting the dots as he picked up another thin document. "Star Luo Empire. Increased aggression towards our branch halls. Confiscation of properties under flimsy pretenses. Harassment of our personnel. Openly challenging our authority within their borders."
He looked up, meeting Bibi Dong's gaze. "They wouldn't dare act so boldly without significant backing. Dai Xing isn't a fool, just ambitious." Dai Xing was the current Emperor of the Star Luo Empire.
"Precisely," Bibi Dong agreed, leaning back in her chair. "The timing is too convenient. Tang Hao rallies the subsidiary clans, consolidating Clear Sky power, and immediately Star Luo begins pushing against us. It reeks of a coordinated effort. Clear Sky is signaling its return, using Star Luo as its proxy fist."
'So,' Song Qing thought coolly, 'Tang Hao seeks revenge. And the Clear Sky Clan finally feels confident enough, perhaps emboldened by whatever progress Tang San has made, to start challenging us openly, albeit indirectly for now. Predictable.'
"They feel confident," Bibi Dong mused aloud, echoing his thoughts. "Perhaps too confident. They likely believe our attention is fractured, dealing with internal matters, maybe underestimating our true strength after years of relative quiet."
Song Qing leaned against the desk, tapping the report thoughtfully. "This presents an opportunity, Teacher."
Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow, inviting him to elaborate.
"They expect us to react with force," Song Qing explained, his strategic mind clicking into gear. "Meet aggression with aggression. A direct confrontation, Spirit Hall versus Star Luo, with Clear Sky waiting in the wings. That's the conventional play. The one they likely anticipate."
He shook his head slightly. "We do the opposite."
Bibi Dong listened intently, already sensing the direction of his plan.
"We pull back," Song Qing stated decisively. "Order a complete withdrawal of all Spirit Hall personnel and assets from the Star Luo Empire. Every branch hall closed. Every Elder recalled. Consolidate them here in Martial Soul City or redeploy them to key locations within the Heaven Dou Empire, strengthening our presence there."
Bibi Dong's eyes lit up with understanding. "A strategic retreat? Feign weakness?"
"Exactly," Song Qing confirmed. "We make a show of it. We let Star Luo 'win'. We release carefully worded statements expressing regret, emphasizing our desire to avoid conflict, our commitment to peace on the continent."
His lips curved into a faint, calculating smile. "Imagine the public perception, Teacher. Star Luo Empire, acting aggressively, instigated likely by the reclusive Clear Sky Clan, pushes against a Spirit Hall seemingly trying to prevent war. Who gains the moral high ground? Who garners the support of the neutral populace, the smaller kingdoms, the common people tired of conflict?"
Bibi Dong's smile mirrored his now. "Public opinion shifts dramatically in our favor. Star Luo and Clear Sky are painted as the aggressors, destabilizing the peace we are trying to maintain. Our reputation, somewhat tarnished by past events and necessary actions, gets a significant boost."
"Precisely," Song Qing nodded. "And more importantly," he added, his eyes gleaming, "it inflates their arrogance. Emperor Dai Xing sees us retreating, seemingly buckling under pressure. The Clear Sky Clan sees their initial gambit succeed with apparent ease. They will grow bolder."
"Lulling them into a false sense of security," Bibi Dong murmured, savoring the strategy. "Encouraging them to overextend."
"But," Song Qing cautioned, "we cannot appear completely toothless. That would arouse suspicion. While the main withdrawal happens, we need sporadic, carefully managed resistance."
He elaborated, "Send a lone Elder, perhaps, to intervene when Star Luo forces become too egregious. Let them engage in a high-profile clash. Ensure the Elder fights valiantly but is ultimately 'forced' to retreat, perhaps even sustaining minor, visible injuries."
"Create martyrs," Bibi Dong breathed, catching on immediately. "Heroes fighting against overwhelming odds, forced back by the aggressive empire. More fuel for the public relations fire."
"Exactly," Song Qing confirmed. "We need to show just enough resistance to make our eventual counter-attack believable, but consistently lose these skirmishes publicly. We bleed credibility in terms of immediate martial strength, making them underestimate us further, while simultaneously winning the war for hearts and minds."
Bibi Dong steepled her fingers, considering the plan. It was elegant. Deceptive. Playing the long game, sacrificing short-term appearances for strategic advantage and public support. It resonated perfectly with her own pragmatic approach, amplified by Song Qing's innovative twist on perception management.
"I concur entirely, Qing'er," she stated decisively. "The plan is sound. Devious, but sound." A thought occurred to her. "Should we involve Ning Fengzhi and the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan?"
She clarified, "Not in direct conflict, of course. But perhaps… strategically placed diplomatic expressions of 'concern'? Ning Fengzhi could subtly signal disapproval of Star Luo's aggression, perhaps offer 'mediation' that is politely rebuffed. It would add another layer to our appearance of seeking peaceful solutions, of even our allies being worried about the potential for war initiated by Star Luo."
Song Qing considered this. The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, significantly empowered since he'd helped upgrade their spirits with Immortal Herbs like the Beautiful Silk Tulip, turning most core members into Nine Treasure Pagoda masters, held immense prestige and economic influence. Their subtle involvement would indeed bolster the narrative.
"An excellent refinement, Teacher," he agreed readily. "Having Clan Master Ning express quiet 'disappointment' in Star Luo's actions, perhaps withdrawing a minor trade delegation as a sign of 'unease'… it strengthens the facade immensely. Makes it seem like even powerful allies are trying to rein in Star Luo's aggression, while we, Spirit Hall, stoically endure to prevent wider war. Perfect."
Bibi Dong nodded, pleased. "Then it is decided. I will issue the withdrawal orders immediately. And I will personally contact Ning Fengzhi to discuss his… diplomatic concerns." She trusted Ning Fengzhi's intelligence; he would understand the underlying game without needing explicit details.
"And I," Song Qing added, "will ensure the reports of our 'setbacks' and 'losses' are properly… emphasized… in the right channels." He had cultivated his own network of information brokers and influencers over the years.
The plan was set. Wheels began to turn immediately within the vast machinery of Spirit Hall. Orders went out. Personnel began discreetly relocating. Carefully crafted narratives started appearing in public forums and travelers' inns. Ning Fengzhi received a coded message from the Supreme Pontiff, initiating a subtle diplomatic dance.
The continent wouldn't see the fist being drawn back, only the open hand seemingly offered in peace, while the other hand sharpened its claws in the shadows.
With the grand strategy underway and needing time to unfold, Song Qing turned his attention inward. For weeks, a particular item had rested dormant within his spatial storage, a gift – or perhaps more accurately, a strategic offering – from Di Tian after their encounter in the Star Dou Forest.
He retreated to the absolute deepest, most secure level of his private cultivation chambers within the Herbal Garden complex. This area was shielded by multiple layers of concealment arrays and his own passive domain influence, ensuring absolute privacy and preventing any energy leakage. Ah Yin and Cai'er knew better than to approach without express permission.
He sat cross-legged on a meditation platform carved from soul-calming jade. With a thought, a spirit bone materialized before him, hovering silently in the air.
It was a Right Arm bone.
But calling it merely a bone felt like a profound understatement. It pulsed with an energy that seemed to warp the very air around it, ancient beyond measure, radiating power that felt fundamentally different from ordinary soul power or even standard elemental energy. It shimmered with faint, shifting colors, like melihat heat haze over reality itself, and emanated a low, resonant hum that seemed to vibrate not just in the air, but in the fabric of time.
This was the Right Arm Spirit Bone of the Chronos Temporal Tyrant Dragon.
A 200,000+ year old true dragon, a direct descendant of the Time Dragon King, one of the Nine Dragon Kings born from the original Dragon God. This creature had been a terrifying existence in its era, equivalent to a Great Ferocious Beast, before falling in battle against human Titled Douluo millennia ago. Di Tian had preserved its bone, recognizing its immense power, but found its volatile temporal energy impossible for any existing spirit beast to safely absorb.
'Two hundred thousand years…' Song Qing contemplated, his eyes fixed on the bone. 'Pure time attribute… Draconic essence from one of the original Kings… This is… significant.'
Di Tian had offered it almost casually after their discussion, perhaps as a test, perhaps as an investment, perhaps simply because he had no other use for it and saw Song Qing as the only being potentially capable of handling its unique energy signature, especially given his own strange spirit.
Song Qing had held off absorbing it, prioritizing his overall Soul Power cultivation and managing his other affairs. But now… with the strategic game against Star Luo and Clear Sky set in motion, enhancing his personal strength felt paramount.
'Reaching Rank 79, possibly even hitting the Rank 80 bottleneck… that's the goal,' he affirmed internally. 'Becoming a Soul Douluo before the real conflict ignites is crucial. Adding an eighth ring to both my spirits will be a qualitative leap.'
He took several deep, calming breaths, centering himself, drawing his soul power inward, preparing his body and spirit for the immense influx of alien energy. Absorbing a spirit bone, especially one this ancient and attribute-specific, was always risky. Absorbing one imbued with the power of Time itself? That was navigating uncharted territory.
With unwavering resolve, he reached out, his hand closing around the shimmering, humming bone.
The moment his skin made contact, it felt less like touching bone and more like grasping a contained storm of temporal paradoxes.
ZZZZZZT!
An invisible force slammed into him. Not physical force, but temporal distortion. His perception of time flickered wildly. The room seemed to stretch and compress. He saw fleeting afterimages of his own hand reaching out, echoes of moments just passed and hints of moments yet to come.
Simultaneously, an agony unlike anything he'd ever felt ripped through his right arm. It felt like every cell was being simultaneously accelerated towards heat death and frozen at absolute zero, pulled apart by conflicting temporal streams.
The bone began to glow intensely, the shimmering colours solidifying into swirling patterns of silver, grey, and faint gold – the hues of flowing time, frozen moments, and destined futures. It seemed to phase slightly in and out of existence as it began merging with his own arm.
'Incredible power… Volatile…' Song Qing gritted his teeth, forcing his mind to focus through the sensory chaos and the searing pain. He activated his Abyssal Demonic Dragon God Emperor spirit, letting its immense, stabilizing pressure flood his meridians, attempting to contain and guide the wild temporal energy.
He poured his soul power into the merging process, actively wrestling with the bone's chaotic nature. It wasn't just absorbing energy; it was absorbing time. Fragments of the Chronos Dragon's millennia-long existence seemed to flash through his mind – images of primeval forests, battles against monstrous beasts, the final, desperate fight against powerful humans, the slow decay within Di Tian's hoard.
His own physique, already enhanced by multiple spirit bones and potent cultivation, strained under the influx. His muscles spasmed, his bones creaked, his skin felt stretched thin. The draconic power within the bone resonated with his own spirit, creating a feedback loop that amplified both the power and the pain.
But Song Qing endured. His will, forged through two lifetimes and tempered by godly hatred, was absolute. He focused on integration, on understanding the temporal flow, not just resisting it. He let the Abyssal Demonic Dragon God Emperor absorb the draconic essence, while his own soul wrestled with the chaotic time energy, seeking to impose order.
Hours bled into an indeterminable stretch of subjective time. The pain gradually subsided, replaced by a strange, tingling awareness. He felt… different. His perception of the moments passing felt sharper, clearer. He could almost feel the subtle ebb and flow of time within the shielded room itself.
Slowly, the intense glow of the spirit bone faded, sinking completely into his right arm, leaving no visible trace except for perhaps a faint, almost imperceptible shimmering quality to the skin if one looked closely enough.
The integration was complete.
Song Qing slumped forward, sweat pouring down his face, his right arm trembling uncontrollably. He took deep, ragged breaths, allowing his body to recover. The chamber returned to its normal temporal flow.
'Done… Gods, that was… intense,' he thought, flexing the fingers of his right hand. The arm felt… impossibly strong, buzzing with latent energy, connected to reality in a fundamentally new way.
He focused inward, assessing the changes, the gifts bestowed by the Chronos Temporal Tyrant Dragon.
His Soul Power surged first. The sheer energy contained within the 200,000+ year bone pushed him past the Rank 77 and 78 bottlenecks with ease. He felt his cultivation soar, slamming directly against the cusp of the next realm.
Rank 79! Peak! He could practically taste Rank 80, the Soul Douluo threshold. It was right there, requiring only a final push of consolidation and comprehension. 'Excellent. Goal achieved.'
Then came the abilities. His mind sorted through the influx of knowledge imprinted by the bone.
Right Arm Spirit Bone: Chronos Temporal Tyrant Dragon (215,000 Years)
Primary Ability 1: Temporal Acceleration Field: Song Qing could project a localized field (initially about 5 meters radius) around himself or a target. Within this field, time flows significantly faster – perhaps double or triple the normal rate. This could drastically increase his own attack/reaction speed within the bubble, allow him to accelerate allies, or even accelerate the aging/decay of objects or targeted opponents within the field (though affecting powerful soul masters directly would require significant soul power expenditure).
Primary Ability 2: Momentary Stasis: By focusing immense temporal energy through his right arm, Song Qing could attempt to briefly freeze a target (object or being) in a localized time bubble for a few seconds. The duration and effectiveness depend heavily on the target's strength and resistance to temporal manipulation. Requires significant soul power and concentration. Cannot be spammed.
Passive Ability 1: Chronal Reflexes: His perception of time is subtly enhanced, allowing him to perceive fast movements as if they were slightly slowed down, granting him significantly faster reaction times and predictive capabilities in combat.
Passive Ability 2: Temporal Resilience: His body gains a natural resistance to hostile temporal effects (like time-slowing attacks) and recovers slightly faster from injuries due to a minor passive acceleration of his natural healing processes.
Passive Ability 3: Draconic Time-Might: Infuses his physical strikes, particularly with the right arm, with residual temporal energy. Impacts can cause minor localized time distortions – brief slowing or disorientation in the target upon a successful hit. Greatly enhances the physical strength and durability of the right arm itself.
'Temporal Acceleration… Stasis… Enhanced reflexes and resilience…' Song Qing reviewed the abilities with grim satisfaction. 'Potent. Versatile. Game-changing.' The ability to manipulate time, even locally and temporarily, was a power usually reserved for gods.
But the changes didn't stop there. The immense, ancient draconic energy, specifically attuned to Time, surged through his system, resonating powerfully with his Abyssal Demonic Dragon God Emperor spirit.
He felt his spirit shift, evolve, absorbing the temporal essence.
His First Soul Ring (Abyssal Void Dash), previously 42,000 years, pulsed. The influx of ancient energy pushed its age significantly. It solidified again, now radiating the pressure of a 60,000-year ring! And the ability itself mutated subtly. Now, when he dashed or teleported, he left behind not just shadows, but pockets of briefly slowed time, hindering pursuers or trapping opponents momentarily.
His Second Soul Ring (Shadow Dominion), 48,000 years, felt the surge. It jumped to 65,000 years! The Shadow Dominion now felt subtly warped, making time flow erratically for enemies within it, enhancing their disorientation, while his Shadowmeld ability perhaps allowed him to exist slightly out of phase with normal time while active, increasing its defensive properties.
His Third Soul Ring (Abyssal Draconic Claw/Space Rend/Might), already 65,000 years, absorbed a significant portion, leaping to a formidable 85,000 years! The Abyssal Draconic Space Rend now didn't just tear space; it tore spacetime, leaving behind localized temporal distortions alongside the spatial rifts, far more dangerous and unpredictable. Dragon's Might gained a temporal shockwave component, briefly stunning opponents' perception of time.
His Fourth Soul Ring (Frost Spike/Flame Breath), the 95,000-year near-red ring, pulsed violently. The combined draconic and temporal energy slammed into it. The red tint deepened, solidified, then exploded outwards! It stabilized as a brilliant, undeniable BLOOD RED! A true 100,000-year Soul Ring! The Frost Spike Barrage could now potentially freeze targets in temporal micro-stasis on impact, while the Abyssal Flame Dragon Breath burned across time, its corrosive effects lingering far longer.
The other rings, already 100k+, absorbed energy primarily strengthening their existing effects rather than undergoing qualitative age leaps, but they felt undeniably more potent, infused with the subtle warping power of time.
Song Qing felt the immense surge in power settle within him. Rank 79. Four Spirit Bones, including an external crown, external wings, a torso bone, and now a 200k+ year Time Dragon Right Arm. Four Red rings, Three Black rings on his first spirit alone. Mutated, time-infused abilities.
He clenched his right fist, feeling the latent temporal power humming beneath his skin.
'Soul Douluo… is within reach,' he thought, a cold, satisfied smile finally gracing his lips. 'Let Tang Hao gather his clans. Let Star Luo beat its chest. Let them underestimate the retreating Spirit Hall.'
He stood up, stretching his newly enhanced frame, feeling stronger, faster, more perceptive than ever before.
'The game is proceeding nicely. And soon… very soon… it will be time to reveal just how sharp the claws are that we've been hiding.'
~~
[
Status Update for Song Qing
Soul Power Rank: 79 (Peak, bordering on Rank 80 Soul Douluo)
Spirit One:Abyssal Demonic Dragon God Emperor
Passive Abilities:Abyssal Divinity: Possesses a natural and profound affinity for abyssal energy, increasing the power and efficiency of all abyssal-based abilities by 50%. Grants a minor resistance to attacks imbued with divine power. Primordial Fear: Radiates an aura of primal, bone-chilling fear, overwhelming weaker opponents, causing them to freeze in terror, shatter their wills, or even lose consciousness. Emperor of the Beasts: Grants dominance over all beast-type spirits and spirit beasts, allowing suppression of their bloodlines and a degree of control. Soul Rings:First Soul Ring (60,000 Year - Black):Abyssal Void Dash: Grants incredible bursts of speed, leaving behind shadowy afterimages and pockets of briefly slowed time. The speed and range are significantly increased, the afterimages have a stronger lingering shadow effect potentially slowing opponents, and teleportation is even more instantaneous and leaves behind brief temporal distortions. Abyssal Dragon Wings: Allows temporary flight using even more resilient condensed shadow energy, enabling faster and more agile flight and the ability to unleash sharp shadow feathers as projectiles. Second Soul Ring (65,000 Year - Black):Shadow Dominion: Creates a significantly expanded field of darkness that greatly enhances the user's senses and abilities while powerfully weakening opponents within it, potentially affecting their soul skills more directly and causing time to flow erratically for enemies within. Allows for the creation of temporary shadow clones with intricate and powerful control over shadows. Shadowmeld: Allows the user to seamlessly merge with their Shadow Dominion, becoming virtually undetectable and immune to physical and elemental attacks for twenty seconds within every three hours, existing slightly out of phase with normal time while active. Third Soul Ring (85,000 Year - Black):Abyssal Draconic Claw: Manifests an even larger and more potent claw of pure abyssal energy capable of rending through even divine-level defenses. Abyssal Draconic Space Rend: Infuses the Abyssal Draconic Claw with even more volatile spatial and temporal energy, creating larger, more unstable localized spatial rifts upon impact with a chance to temporarily disrupt and distort the spacetime around the target. Dragon's Might: Unleashes a significantly more powerful focused burst of draconic pressure with a sonic component, capable of stunning or incapacitating even strong opponents and potentially causing disorientation, internal damage, and a temporal shockwave briefly stunning opponents' perception of time. Fourth Soul Ring (100,000+ Year – Blood Red):Frost Spike Barrage: Unleashes a dramatically increased volley of razor-sharp ice spikes infused with abyssal and temporal energy, possessing greatly enhanced resilience and piercing power, inflicting severe frostbite that can temporarily slow down the opponent's soul power circulation and potentially freeze targets in temporal micro-stasis on impact. Abyssal Flame Dragon Breath: Emits an even hotter and more corrosive torrent of black flames imbued with the power of the abyss and time, incinerating targets more quickly and rapidly depleting their soul power at an accelerated rate with increased range and a soul-corroding effect that burns across time, causing effects to linger longer. First Passive Ability: Frostfire Resistance: Grants significantly enhanced resistance to both ice and fire-based attacks, potentially granting near immunity and a degree of reflection to weaker attacks. Second Passive Ability: Elemental Adaptation: Gradually adapts the user's body to extreme temperatures at a near-instantaneous rate. Fifth Soul Ring (165,000 Year - Blood Red):Void Anchor: Allows the user to set up to five teleportation points for instant travel between them, with a significantly increased range for placement and completely seamless and undetectable teleportation. Potency enhanced by the Chronos Temporal energy. Abyssal Shadow Barrier: Creates a significantly more durable barrier of solidified shadow capable of withstanding attacks with soul power far exceeding twice the user's own. The shadow also possesses a sharper edge and the ability to absorb a portion of the damage dealt to it and release it back as a shadow counter-attack. Potency enhanced by the Chronos Temporal energy. Sixth Soul Ring (140,000 Year – Blood-Red):Gravity Dominion: Creates a localized field of intense gravity around a target or area with significantly increased intensity, potentially causing even stronger soul masters to struggle. Grants finer control over the gravitational forces within the dominion. Potency enhanced by the Chronos Temporal energy. Abyssal Gravity Lance: Condenses abyssal energy and gravitational force into a piercing lance that causes physical damage and creates a miniature black hole upon impact, causing significant gravitational pull and damage. Potency enhanced by the Chronos Temporal energy. Ironhide Gravity Shell: Envelops the body in highly compressed gravitational energy, providing significantly enhanced resistance to physical attacks and emitting a constant gravitational pressure that can slightly hinder nearby opponents. Potency enhanced by the Chronos Temporal energy. Seventh Soul Ring (130,000 Year – Blood-Red):Abyssal Dragon God Transformation: Upon activation, Song Qing transforms into the Abyssal Demonic Dragon God Emperor Avatar. This avatar is a colossal, majestic dragon formed of pure abyssal shadow energy, wreathed in dark flames, with piercing purple eyes and razor-sharp obsidian claws and scales. Avatar Abilities: Enhanced abyssal and shadow manipulation, Draconic Might Unleashed (powerful roars and breath attacks), Void Blink (instantaneous short-range teleportation), Enhanced Physical Prowess. Potency enhanced by the Chronos Temporal energy. Inherent Ability:Demonic Dragon Domain: When activated, creates a field of pure abyssal energy that amplifies the user's abyssal-based abilities by an additional 60%. Allows three free uses of Void Anchor teleportation within the domain per day with no cooldown. Allows for greater manipulation of shadows, including creating shadow constructs and merging with shadows for intangibility or surprise attacks. Potency enhanced by the Chronos Temporal energy, subtly warping time within the domain.
[
Spirit Two: Primordial Life Tree Spirit
Passive Abilities:
Nature's Embrace: Grants an innate connection to all forms of plant life, allowing the user to use their senses to greatly enhance sensory range. Ancient Wisdom: Provides an inherent understanding of the natural world, granting intuition in plants, beasts, healing, and life energy. Emperor of All Plants (Awakened Passive): Allows the user to exert a powerful suppressive force on all forms of plant life, significantly hindering their abilities and granting a degree of control over them. This suppression is particularly potent against weaker plant-based life forms.
First Soul Ring (32,000 Year - Black):
Verdant Dominion: Emits an intensely soothing green aura that rapidly heals even severe injuries and fully restores stamina to all living beings within a greatly expanded radius. The aura now also offers significant protection against harmful environmental effects and weaker negative energies and can dispel weaker negative status effects. Passive Ability: Harmonious Restoration: Continuously harmonizes the body and soul of Song Qing and anyone within range, accelerating the healing of inherent weaknesses, imperfections, and even long-term ailments with even greater speed and effectiveness. Second Passive Ability: Accelerated Evolution: Manipulates the flow of time for plant life within Verdant Dominion, drastically accelerating their growth, increasing their resilience, and enhancing their inherent potency and beneficial properties at a near-instantaneous rate.
Second Soul Ring (40,000 Year - Black):
Venomous Constriction: Summons and manipulates incredibly resilient thorny vines imbued with a highly potent and corrosive poison that rapidly drains the soul energy and vitality of opponents upon contact, causing significant and lasting damage. The vines can now also constrict with immense force, capable of crushing bone, and the poison now has a paralyzing effect. Passive Ability: Essence Replication: Absorbs a wide array of poisons and essence energies from various herbs and natural sources, allowing the Primordial Life Tree Spirit to reproduce them in a more potent form at will. This now includes the enhanced ability to synthesize complex medicinal compounds and even create new types of toxins.
Third Soul Ring (78,000 Year - Black):
Phantom Entrapment: Creates incredibly strong and realistic illusionary vines that ensnare and constrict opponents, inducing a powerful psychological effect that makes them believe they are physically bound even if they are not. The illusions are now incredibly realistic, capable of inducing vivid hallucinations and even affecting the opponent's perception of time. Veiled Aura: Conceals soul power, making it appear significantly weaker than its actual strength. This soul ring remains active indefinitely without any consumption of Soul Power and its concealment effect has been profoundly enhanced, capable of fooling even divine-sense scans.
Fourth Soul Ring (100,000 Year – Blood-Red):
Crimson Soul Assimilation: Greater Life Drain: Projects highly concentrated tendrils of crimson energy to rapidly and efficiently siphon the life force from living beings upon contact, transferring it to the user at an accelerated rate and providing a significant boost to their vitality. Crimson Soul Assimilation: Enhanced Spirit Power Siphon: Projects potent tendrils of crimson energy to swiftly drain the spiritual energy of opponents, causing severe mental fatigue, weakening their soul skills, and significantly bolstering the user's spiritual reserves at an even more rapid rate, now capable of inducing severe mental trauma. Passive Skill: Amplified Soul Ring Resonance: Further increases the age and potency of previous soul rings each time a new soul ring is absorbed, with the effect being even more potent.
Fifth Soul Ring (130,000-Year-Old Ring – Blood-Red):
Illusionary True Transformation: Enhanced Form Manipulation: Can now transform his Physique and Soul Rings to anything he wants with even greater precision and control. For the physique, he can drastically alter his hair color, eye color, skin color, and completely reshape his face structure, muscle structure, and even bone structure. He can now also transform his body size, allowing him to become either incredibly small and agile or massively large, gaining immense physical strength in the larger form with further amplification, though this enhanced strength is temporary. Transformation can be maintained for longer durations with less strain. Perpetual Spirit Manifestation: Can keep three abilities of Primordial Life Tree Spirit active at all times with no consumption of Soul Power. This allows for continuous application of passive effects or strategic combinations of active skills. Passive Skill: Primal Resilience: Grants immense toughness, making him highly resistant to physical and elemental attacks, and provides significantly greater healing capabilities, allowing for rapid recovery from even grievous wounds.
Sixth Soul Ring (160,000-Year-Old Ring – Blood-Red):
Primordial Binding Forest: Instantly conjures a vast and dense forest of ancient, incredibly strong, and magically reinforced trees and vines that erupt from the ground, rapidly spreading and ensnaring all opponents within a large area. These bindings are incredibly difficult to break and possess inherent life energy that slowly drains the vitality of those trapped and now also absorbs their soul power upon contact. Life Essence Control: Grants precise control over the life essence of all living beings within a considerable radius. This allows for various applications, including accelerating the healing of allies, hindering the regeneration of enemies, and even directly manipulating the flow of life force within a target, potentially causing debilitating effects or even rapid aging with even greater precision, including the manipulation of cellular growth. Primordial Heartbeat Resonance: Emits a powerful, rhythmic pulse of life energy that resonates with all living beings within a vast area. This resonance can have multiple effects, including bolstering the morale and vitality of allies, disrupting the focus and weakening the resolve of enemies, and even directly influencing the growth and health of plant life, now also capable of directly influencing their emotions. Thousand Wood Spears: Summons thousands of razor-sharp spears made from solidified primordial wood that rain down upon opponents with incredible speed and force. These spears are imbued with potent life energy that can pierce through defenses and cause significant damage, and they can be controlled telekinetically for precise targeting and now also track their targets.
Seventh Soul Ring (100,000 Year – Blood-Red):
Primordial Life Tree Avatar: Upon activation, Song Qing manifests the Primordial Life Tree Avatar. This avatar is a towering, radiant figure formed from ancient, glowing wood and vibrant, emerald leaves. Its form exudes a powerful aura of life and nature, with glowing golden sap flowing through its branches and leaves. Avatar Abilities: Supreme Life Force and Regeneration, Absolute Plant Control, Nature's Blessing (rapid healing and enhanced vitality/soul power regen for allies), Summon Nature's Guardians (powerful elemental creatures).
Primordial Life Domain: Upon obtaining the Seventh Soul Ring, Song Qing's Domain is further enhanced. Within the Primordial Life Domain, the environment transforms into a vibrant and ancient forest under his complete control. In this domain:
His connection to plant life is absolute, granting him true omniscience within the domain. The growth and manipulation of plants are instantaneous and effortless. The life essence of allies within the domain is amplified, accelerating healing and bolstering their strength even further. The life essence of enemies within the domain is suppressed, weakening them and hindering their abilities to an even greater extent. He can summon incredibly powerful plant-based entities and manipulate the terrain to his absolute advantage. The suppressive effect of his "Emperor of All Plants" passive ability is greatly amplified within the domain, making it nearly impossible for plant-based life forms to act against his will. Special Ability: While in the Primordial Life Tree Spirit Avatar within his Primordial Life Domain, Song Qing gains the ability to instantly regenerate from any injury, even if his physical form is completely destroyed. He will reform from the life energy of the domain.
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Spirit Bones:
Ancient Void Dragonbone Wings (External Spirit Bone): Primary Ability: Aerial Supremacy: Grants the power of flight, greatly enhancing agility, maneuverability, and speed in the air, with the added ability to perform short bursts of teleportation. Potency enhanced. Defensive Skill: Abyssal Dragonbone Aegis: Focuses soul power to solidify the wings, forming a sturdy shield capable of deflecting significant force and possessing a corrosive abyssal aura. Potency enhanced. Offensive Skill 1: Void Wing Barrage: Launches a volley of sharp, feather-like projectiles made of condensed bone, abyssal energy, and solidified void space. Potency enhanced. Offensive Skill 2: Abyssal Void Dragon Dive: Channels draconic, abyssal, and spatial energy into the wings, allowing a powerful dive attack with devastating force and speed, capable of creating localized spatial distortions. Potency enhanced. Dark Soul Emperor's Crown (External Spirit Bone): Passive Abilities:Enhanced Mental Energy: Greatly boosts mental clarity, focus, and processing speed. Potency enhanced. Enhanced Spiritual Energy: Significantly enhances spiritual power and expands sensory range. Potency enhanced. Perception Abilities:Void Sight Far Gaze: Provides exceptionally sharp vision over vast distances, capable of seeing through minor spatial and temporal distortions. Potency enhanced. Void Premonition: Grants clearer and more frequent glimpses of potential future events, enhancing danger anticipation. Potency enhanced. Illusion Piercer: Sees through all forms of illusions. Potency enhanced. Soul Abilities:Abyssal Soul Reading: Allows the user to read thoughts and intentions of those with significantly stronger soul power. Potency enhanced. Soul Consumption: Consumes the souls of defeated spirit beasts or soul masters, strengthening mental and spiritual energy. Potency enhanced. Soul Seizure: Grants the ability to steal a target's Soul Ring and store their soul within the Dark Soul Emperor's Crown (can store up to two souls). Potency enhanced. Ancient Abyssal Void Wyvern's Torso (Torso Spirit Bone): Primary Ability: Abyssal Void Dragon Armor: Manifests a full suit of incredibly resilient armor composed of swirling, obsidian-colored scales that ripple with both abyssal and spatial energy, providing immense physical and energy defense. Potency enhanced. Passive Ability: Abyssal Core Regeneration: Provides a constant, subtle flow of abyssal energy that accelerates the user's soul power regeneration. Potency enhanced. Corrupted Emerald Arbor's Left Arm Bone (160,000-Year-Old): Ability 1: Emerald Prison: The left arm can instantly unleash a cage of razor-sharp emerald crystal spikes that erupt from the ground around a target, trapping them within. Potency enhanced. Ability 2: Withering Emerald Touch: Upon physical contact with the left arm, Song Qing can channel the Corrupted Emerald Arbor's withering energy, causing rapid decay and weakening of the target's life force. Potency enhanced. Chronos Temporal Tyrant Dragon's Right Arm Bone (215,000 Year - Right Arm Spirit Bone): Primary Ability 1: Temporal Acceleration Field:Song Qing can project a localized field (initially about 5 meters radius) around himself or a target. Within this field, time flows significantly faster – allowing accelerated attack/reaction speed, hastened allies, or accelerated aging/decay of objects/opponents (requires significant soul power for powerful targets). Primary Ability 2: Momentary Stasis: By focusing immense temporal energy through his right arm, Song Qing can briefly freeze a target (object or being) in a localized time bubble for a few seconds. Duration and effectiveness depend on target's strength and resistance. Requires significant soul power and concentration. Passive Ability 1: Chronal Reflexes: Perception of time is subtly enhanced, allowing perception of fast movements as slowed, granting significantly faster reaction times and predictive capabilities. Passive Ability 2: Temporal Resilience: Body gains natural resistance to hostile temporal effects and recovers slightly faster from injuries due to passive acceleration of healing. Passive Ability 3: Draconic Time-Might: Infuses physical strikes, particularly with the right arm, with residual temporal energy. Impacts can cause minor localized time distortions (brief slowing or disorientation) upon successful hit. Greatly enhances the physical strength and durability of the right arm.
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